EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 4/8/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Canadian Press: Railing against soaring gas prices, Republicans in Congress cite Keystone XL decision
CTV: U.S. senator to visit Alberta oil sands in bid to pressure Biden
Law360: FERC's 'Troubling' $6B Gas Pipeline Review Puzzles DC Circ.
Des Moines Register: Advocacy group estimates carbon capture pipelines crossing Iowa will get $23 billion at public expense
York News Times: Commissioners get update on proposed CO2 pipeline project
AgWeek: Ellingson says Summit Carbon Solutions is committed to getting drain tile right on pipeline project
AgWeek: Navigator carbon pipeline project joins Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association
Press release: TC Energy responds to incident near Fox Creek, Alta.
Press release: TC Energy launches binding open season for the Marketlink Pipeline System
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: GOING BACK TO THE WELL?
Washington Post: Energy Executive Was Inadvertently Listed As Author Of GOP Witness's Testimony.
Santa Fe New Mexican: Feds to pause fracking on 45,000 acres near Chaco
EXTRACTION
Reuters: U.S. shale gas, LNG firms meet with European countries over supply crisis
Reuters: Canada creates carbon-capture incentives, critical mineral plan to cut emissions
Reuters: Sempra wins extension on Texas LNG project; NextDecade also seeks extension
Reuters: Canada approves $12 bln Bay du Nord offshore oil project
Press release: Enbridge Welcomes New UN Flagship Report on Climate Change
CLIMATE FINANCE
Reuters: Royal Bank defends funding B.C.'s Coastal GasLink pipeline despite environmental concerns
Canadian Press: RBC CEO says “orderly transition” to net zero crucial
OPINION
Michigan Advance: Column: Why the Enbridge Line 5 tunnel is a pipe bomb at the Straits
Roanoke Times: Marshall: Chickahominy Power plant is dead. Is the Mountain Valley Pipeline next?
PIPELINE NEWS
Canadian Press: Railing against soaring gas prices, Republicans in Congress cite Keystone XL decision
James McCarten, 4/6/22
“Republicans are doing their best to resurrect the controversy around the long-dead Keystone XL pipeline expansion, using it as an election-year political cudgel against Joe Biden in hopes of convincing voters that soaring gasoline prices are the U.S. president’s fault,” the Canadian Press reports. “Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce took turns Wednesday grilling a group of senior oil and gas industry leaders summoned to testify before the committee about the apparent disconnect between crude oil prices and the cost at the pump… “Keystone XL — the cross-border project Biden killed on his first day in office — proved a popular talking point. “What happened is we denied Canada access to our market,” said H.R. McMaster, one of Donald Trump’s former national security advisers and the only one of Wednesday’s panel of witnesses who wasn’t an oil and gas executive. “What’s Canada going to do? They’re going to have to sell oil elsewhere — maybe to China, for example, which will give China maybe more power over Canada’s economy.” “...The White House has, however, shrugged off the notion that a different outcome on Keystone XL would have had any impact on the current price of gas — a message repeated Wednesday by Virginia Democrat Rep. Donald McEachin. “The reality is that the Keystone pipeline would not be operational until at least next year, so the notion that somehow that’s adversely affecting the price of oil and the price of gas at the pump is to me somewhat mystifying,” McEachin said. “What’s more, the Keystone XL was essentially a Canadian export pipeline designed to take Canadian oil to foreign markets, and Canadian officials have said as much.”
CTV: U.S. senator to visit Alberta oil sands in bid to pressure Biden
Richard Madan, 4/7/22
“A key Democratic senator will tour Canada's oil sands next week to pressure U.S. President Joe Biden to revive a critical pipeline project he scrapped on his first day in office,” CTV reports. “Joe Manchin, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, plans to visit two sites in Fort McMurray, Alta., and discuss "North American energy security and how Alberta can provide more of the U.S.' energy needs," according to officials. Manchin's office tells CTV News they "will have a full release following Senator Manchin’s visit, but not before." “...Manchin, a moderate Democrat who often clashes with his own party, has urged Biden to restore federal permits to build the Keystone Pipeline - a project that would transmit thousands of litres of crude oil from Alberta to refineries in Texas. Biden and the White House have rejected that idea… “Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, an advocate for the Keystone project, says the White House won't revive the pipeline because it doesn't want to upset progressive Democrats. "The administration is going to say it is too late, because the administration is going to want to save face," Cassidy said in an interview with CTV News. "Clearly, economy, climate, national security and energy means we should be going with Canada, not with Venezuela or not with Iran.”
Law360: FERC's 'Troubling' $6B Gas Pipeline Review Puzzles DC Circ.
Khorri Atkinson, 4/7/22
“Two D.C. Circuit judges took a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission attorney to task Thursday over the agency’s handling of a hotly contested $6 billion Appalachian pipeline, demanding answers for why it has yet to issue a stop-work order and conduct a new environmental review of the entire project following recent appellate court orders,” Law360 reports.
Des Moines Register: Advocacy group estimates carbon capture pipelines crossing Iowa will get $23 billion at public expense
Donnelle Eller, 4/8/22
“Three proposed carbon capture pipelines in Iowa could receive $23 billion in federal tax credits over a dozen years, a national environmental group estimates, while local communities are left to "foot the bill should anything go wrong," the Des Moines Register reports. “Carbon capture and its associated pipelines are designed to funnel wealth from communities to corporations," Emma Schmit, an organizer for advocacy group Food & Water Watch in Iowa, said in a statement. "But Iowans see these schemes for what they are — greenwashing and corporate profiteering at our expense." Countries will not get to their climate change goals "without carbon management technologies," Madelyn Morrison, a spokeswoman for the Carbon Capture Coalition, a group that includes utilities, coal producers and other industries, as well as some environmental groups and unions, told the Register. But other environmental groups, including Food & Water Watch, say early carbon capture projects have failed to deliver significant climate benefits, and that any leak from a pipeline could pose a safety threat. High carbon dioxide concentrations can cause illness and asphyxiation. The groups say the federal carbon capture tax incentives should be spent on development of wind, solar and other non-carbon energy sources. “Regardless of the misinformation special interest groups continue to spread about Summit Carbon Solutions’ project, the facts remain. Summit’s project will have a positive impact across its five-state footprint," the company said in a statement this week… “Food & Water Watch said Summit, the first of the pipeline planners to asked the Iowa Utilities Board for a permit, could qualify for nearly twice the cost of its project, snagging more than $7 billion in federal tax credits over 12 years… “Many Iowa landowners and farmers have expressed concern about the companies' likely use of eminent domain to force unwilling property owners to sell easement rights. The companies have said they hope to get most easements through voluntary agreements. “We refuse to also offer up our land, communities, health and safety so that corporations like Summit can make a quick buck," Schmit told the Register.
York News Times: Commissioners get update on proposed CO2 pipeline project
Melanie Wilkinson, 4/7/22
“The York County Commissioners were visited this week by three representatives of Summit Carbon Solutions, who provided an update about their project which would result in a carbon capture project connecting 31 ethanol plants and the creation of a pipeline to a storage site in North Dakota,” the York News Times reports. “...We just wanted to come back and given an update and answer any questions you may have,” Erik Schovanek from Summit Carbon Solutions said. “Over 50% of the corn crops in the states we are touching go to ethanol; this project would allow ethanol to compete in a low carbon world.” Ethanol plants will benefit from the capture process because it would qualify them for tax incentives as well as allow them to charge a premium cost for their product… “They are currently working toward right-of-way acquisitions throughout the entire footprint of the project and they want to start construction of the pipeline in the first quarter of 2023… “Commissioner Jack Sikes asked about risks to the public, should the pipeline break. Schovanek said the pipeline would be built with strong safety and integrity standards. He noted the thousands of miles of pipelines in the nation now with very rare breaches – and he noted this pipeline would be buried deeper than required with a depth of at least four feet. “The pipe would be of highly rated steel that is very thick and would fall within the federal requirements,” Schovanek said. “CO2 is non-flammable, it won’t explode and it would quickly dissipate into the air, should there ever be a breach.” He noted the plumes of CO2 that can be seen every day, coming from ethanol plants, with the carbon dioxide going up into the air… “Obermier asked about their easement acquisition efforts and Schovanek said they “have been seeing good success in Nebraska.” “We are planning on six pump stations along the line,” Schovanek said. “There wouldn’t be one in York County.” “...There will be more public meetings on this matter, as those haul, road use and other agreements will need to be considered.”
AgWeek: Ellingson says Summit Carbon Solutions is committed to getting drain tile right on pipeline project
Jeff Beach, 4/8/22
“Tim Trettin had only recently added some Iowa farmland when he learned about a carbon capture pipeline for his area of north-central Iowa,” AgWeek reports. “One of his concerns for the 3 acres that could be impacted by the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline is the drain tile. He said he knows it’s “out there somewhere,” he’s just not sure exactly where, and he hasn’t owned it long enough to know how the field is supposed to drain. Drain tile is a common concern among farmers with cropland in the path of carbon pipelines… “Drain tile repair will be an extensive effort,” Summit’s Alex Lange said during that meeting. Summit is counting on Ellingson Companies to fulfill the promise of making the needed repairs to drain tile as part of pipeline construction. “We’re there to work for the growers,” said Jeremy Ellingson, the chief operating officer for Ellingson. “We’re there to make sure that their drain tile is operating and performing just the way it was before the pipeline.” “...The hazardous material pipeline faces opposition from many landowners and county governments along the route. Trettin, the Iowa farmer, told AgWeek he is “not exactly for it,” referring to the pipeline. He told AgWeek the compensation offer from Summit was “relatively fair” but he would not sign a voluntary easement agreement until the project were to be approved by the Iowa Utilities Board.”
AgWeek: Navigator carbon pipeline project joins Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association
4/7/22
“Navigator CO2 Ventures, the company behind a project to gather carbon emissions from ethanol plants in five states and store it in Illinois, has joined the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association as a vendor member,” AgWeek reports. “...In Minnesota, the pipeline will go through Martin County on the state’s southern border, connecting the Valero ethanol plant in the town of Welcome. Navigator also recently announced a partnership with Siouxland Ethanol in Jackson, Nebraska, as part of the project. Valero and BlackRock Global Energy and Power are other key partners in the project.”
Press release: TC Energy responds to incident near Fox Creek, Alta.
4/7/22
“We are aware of an incident near Fox Creek, Alta. and have activated our emergency management and response procedures. We are working closely with federal and local authorities to ensure a coordinated response. The safety of our people, communities and protection of the environment are our primary focus and we are actively responding. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.”
Press release: TC Energy launches binding open season for the Marketlink Pipeline System
4/8/22
“TC Energy Corporation (TSX, NYSE: TRP) (TC Energy) today launched an open season to solicit binding commitments for crude oil transportation services on the Marketlink Pipeline System with origin in Cushing, OK, and destinations in Port Arthur and Houston, TX. Marketlink is a vital transportation link to the U.S. Gulf Coast designed to meet the needs of our customers by delivering a reliable source of domestic supply from the Cushing hub to the U.S. refining market. Submission of binding bids is required before the open season closes at 12 p.m. MDT on May 9, 2022.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: GOING BACK TO THE WELL?
Matthew Choi, 4/7/22
“The oil company executives who got a grilling Wednesday in the House hearing over gas prices are probably eager for a break from the scrutiny. But it may not be the last time they’re hauled before Congress if Democrats get their way,” Politico reports. “With the party facing political fire for high retail gasoline prices and the midterm elections fast approaching, Democrats are eager to cast blame on oil companies whose coffers are swelling from high oil prices… “The Senate Commerce Committee is still hoping for a hearing with the heads of Exxon Mobil, BP and Pioneer Natural Resources, a committee staffer told Politico. Executives from the companies declined the invitation issued by Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) for the hearing that took place at her committee on Tuesday. A House Oversight spokesperson told ME the committee is still “continuing with our investigation into Big Oil’s disinformation on climate change and misleading promises about green energy investments.”
Washington Post: Energy Executive Was Inadvertently Listed As Author Of GOP Witness's Testimony.
Maxine Joselow, 4/7/22
“When Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee invited the top executives of oil and gas companies to testify on Wednesday about their purported role in high gasoline prices, Republicans on the panel responded by inviting H.R. McMaster, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser and is a prominent conservative voice on energy issues,” the Washington Post reports. “But when McMaster submitted his testimony to the committee, it accidentally listed an executive at Sempra Energy as the author, according to an original copy of the testimony obtained by the Post. While a spokesman for McMaster said the energy executive did not draft the document, the incident raises questions about whether McMaster’s advocacy to lawmakers dovetailed with Sempra’s interests. McMaster told lawmakers at the hearing that boosting U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas would benefit both the climate and national security. Sempra, a California-based energy company, develops and invests in liquefied natural gas export facilities across North America. Brian Lloyd, regional vice president for external affairs and communications at Sempra Energy, was listed as the author of the testimony in the Word document that McMaster provided to the committee.”
Santa Fe New Mexican: Feds to pause fracking on 45,000 acres near Chaco
Scott Wyland, 4/6/22
“Responding to a lawsuit by environmentalists, the Bureau of Land Management has agreed to reconsider a Trump-era action that had opened up fracking on 45,000 acres in the Chaco Canyon area,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “The settlement, which will pause all oil and gas activities on the federal parcels until the BLM makes a decision, is a victory for conservationists and tribal advocates who seek greater protections around a UNESCO World Heritage Site that Indigenous people in the region hold as sacred. The agreement comes several months after the Biden administration announced a move toward barring federal oil and gas leasing in a 10-mile zone around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park…“Ultimately what I hope is all the leases are canceled,” Kyle Tisdel, senior attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, told the New Mexican. “And that the agency realizes after doing the type of analysis it should’ve done the first time that this is an incredibly sacred area — and it is an area that is incompatible with oil and gas leasing and development.” “...The BLM failed to take a hard look at greenhouse gas emissions, public health effects and environmental injustice, the suit said. The agency also didn’t offer enough opportunities for public participation, nor did it prepare a proper environmental impact statement, the suit said. The settlement calls for federal agencies to consult with tribal representatives, especially in the areas where the leases are held, Tisdel told the New Mexican. There also will be public meetings, including on Navajo Nation. The BLM also must do additional analysis of cultural resources that would be affected.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: U.S. shale gas, LNG firms meet with European countries over supply crisis
Liz Hampton, 4/6/22
“At least a dozen U.S. shale gas executives met on Wednesday with European energy officials to discuss expanding U.S. fuel supplies to Europe amid a scramble to replace Russian imports,” Reuters reports. “The group met in Houston with foreign affairs and economic ministers and commercial buyers looking to reduce their imports of Russian oil, coal and liquefied natural gas over its invasion of Ukraine, executives said. The European Union plans to cut its reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds this year. Delegations from Latvia and Estonia, diplomats from Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, and the UK toured the Golden Pass LNG export project in Sabine Pass, Texas, and later met in Houston with shale gas producers, Fred Hutchison, chief executive of trade group LNG Allies, told Reuters. Group discussions included top executives from Chesapeake Energy (CHK.O), Coterra Energy (CTRA.N), EOG Resources (EOG.N) and EQT Corp (EQT.N).”
Reuters: Canada creates carbon-capture incentives, critical mineral plan to cut emissions
By Steve Scherer, 4/7/22
“Canada will offer a substantial incentive to companies that invest in carbon-capture technologies and will set aside as much as C$3.8 billion ($3 billion) over eight years to accelerate critical mineral exploration, extraction and processing as it seeks to cut carbon emissions,” Reuters reports. “In this year's budget presented on Thursday, Canada is introducing a 60% tax credit for equipment used to capture carbon from the air, and 50% for all other capture equipment, plus a 37.5% credit for transportation and storage equipment… "For the oil and gas sector this tax credit, combined with the fact they are generating massive revenues right now, is more than enough to reduce the risk associated with going ahead with CCS projects," Chris Severson-Baker, Alberta regional director at the Pembina Institute, a clean energy think-tank, told Reuters. The tax credit is projected to cost the government C$2.6 billion ($2.1 billion) over five years. The incentive is below the 75% level the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) requested last year, and one industry group said it would look for additional funding from programs like the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Emissions Reduction Alberta. "This in and of itself probably isn't enough for a final investment decision, but it's a very important step. We're generally pleased," Mark Cameron, senior advisor to the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero alliance, which consists of six companies representing 95% of oil sands output, told Reuters.
Reuters: Sempra wins extension on Texas LNG project; NextDecade also seeks extension
By Marcy de Luna, 4/7/22
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said on Thursday it granted Sempra Energy (SRE.N) an extension to build two pipelines in Texas and Louisiana to connect to a Texas liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, and NextDecade Corp (NEXT.O) is also seeking more time to build a Texas LNG project,” Reuters reports. “Sempra Energy was granted an extension until March 31, 2023, for the two pipelines that will connect to its Port Arthur LNG plant. NextDecade Corp (NEXT.O)on Wednesday also sought an extension, to November 2028, for its Rio Grande LNG project in Brownsville, Texas. NextDecade on Wednesday also announced it had reached a 20-year deal to supply 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from the proposed Rio Grande facility to a unit of China's ENN Natural Gas Co (600803.SS). Several LNG developers have announced new deals this year that could push ahead proposed plants. Energy Transfer signed a 2.7 MTPA deal with ENN while Mexico Pacific Ltd received a 2 MPTA deal from Chinese gas and power supplier Guangzhou Development Co… “At the start of 2020 and again in 2021, roughly a dozen firms signaled plans for financial investment decisions on proposed projects. But only Sempra's Costa Azul in Mexico started construction in 2020. Numerous others have been pushed into 2022.”
Reuters: Canada approves $12 bln Bay du Nord offshore oil project
By Nia Williams and Ismail Shakil, 4/6/22
“The Canadian government on Wednesday approved a $12 billion offshore oil project proposed by Norway's Equinor ASA (EQNR.OL), after an environmental assessment concluded it would not cause significant adverse effects,” Reuters reports. “The Bay du Nord project would involve building a floating platform to drill an estimated resource of 300 million barrels of light crude oil in the Atlantic Ocean, about 500 km (310 miles) off the coast of Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province. Environmental groups blasted the move, which comes days after a United Nations report warned the world risked climate disaster without severe emissions cuts. "The decision is tantamount to denying that climate change is real and threatens our very existence, Julia Levin, program manager at Environmental Defence, told Reuters. Bay du Nord would be Canada's first remote deepwater project at around 1,200 meters (4,000-ft) deep and has come to symbolize the tension between Canada's climate goals and concerns about energy security in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.”
Press release: Enbridge Welcomes New UN Flagship Report on Climate Change
4/7/22
“Society must move more forcefully to combat global warming, the world’s top climate scientists warned Monday in a new report that says existing solutions and innovation offer hope—but not without action. Enbridge welcomes the thought and discussion the study by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will prompt in the coming days. We are committed to building a bridge to the energy future, to remaining engaged and focused on such an important global issue, and to finding and implementing impactful solutions… “Here are some key initiatives Enbridge has taken in our quest to bridge to the energy future while continuing to provide access to affordable, reliable and increasingly sustainable low-emissions energy: We are investing in our natural gas, renewable projects, and in low-carbon energy infrastructure—including renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen. We believe that RNG provides a cost-effective way to decarbonize sectors like heavy transport. We have seven RNG projects either operating or under construction today and 55 in development in Canada, as well as another eight in development in the U.S. with more to come. We are taking action… “Enbridge was recently awarded the right to pursue development of a carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration hub west of Edmonton, Alberta. Once built, the Open Access Wabamun Carbon Hub will be among the largest integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the world.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Reuters: Royal Bank defends funding B.C.'s Coastal GasLink pipeline despite environmental concerns
4/7/22
“Royal Bank of Canada's chief executive defended the bank's funding of the Coastal GasLink pipeline Thursday and called for incentives to help the shift to a net-zero economy, as investors and Indigenous groups denounced its support of fossil fuels,” Reuters reports. “Chief executive Dave McKay was speaking at the bank's annual shareholder meeting, which had been changed to a virtual-only format late on Wednesday after confirmation of a positive case of COVID-19 among its staff. Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs had travelled from British Columbia to Toronto to express their opposition in person to RBC's financing of the pipeline's construction on traditional Indigenous land. The pipeline is 65 per cent owned by private equity firm KKR & Co. Inc. and the Alberta Investment Management Corp. Calling into the meeting, they accused the bank of funding a project that they said has damaged rivers and wetland forests and limited their ability to hunt wildlife… “Despite support from elected leaders, the pipeline still faces fierce opposition from several groups, most notably Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who say band councils — as political entities created by the federal government — do not have authority over land beyond reserve boundaries. That job, they say, belongs to hereditary chiefs under the Wet'suwet'en governance system which predates the formation of Canada and has not been extinguished… “Two shareholder proposals urging RBC to exclude fossil fuel activity and projects opposed by Indigenous groups from eligibility for sustainable financing, and refrain from funding and advising on the privatization of pollution-intensive assets were defeated, in line with the board's recommendation.”
Canadian Press: RBC CEO says “orderly transition” to net zero crucial
4/7/22
“Royal Bank of Canada’s chief executive officer says an “orderly transition” to a net-zero economy is crucial, as he faced questions and criticism about the bank’s climate strategy and ongoing financing of fossil fuels during its annual shareholder meeting,” the Canadian Press reports. “Dave McKay was pressed on issues like the effects of oilsands extraction and the Coastal GasLink pipeline project. Meanwhile, in his prepared remarks, McKay emphasized RBC’s commitment to reducing global emissions in its operations by 70% by 2025. McKay says the bank is working closely with its clients on their net-zero strategies and intends on publishing emission reduction goals for its oil and gas, utilities and automotive portfolios this fall.”
OPINION
Michigan Advance: Column: Why the Enbridge Line 5 tunnel is a pipe bomb at the Straits
Gary Street has a B.S. and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Michigan, 4/8/22
“The sordid details of Enbridge’s Line 5 in Michigan reveal at least 33 spills, along with at least 3 anchor/cable strikes that had the potential to cause a massive oil spill. We’ve been lucky. Incredibly lucky. But our luck will run out,” Gary Street writes for the Michigan Advance. “Enbridge proposes to build a tunnel for Line 5. They assure us — falsely — it will eliminate all hazards. The tunnel will, unfortunately, introduce new hazards — hazards that are even more insidious. These hazards have been confirmed in a new study by Brian O’Mara (B.S. in geological engineering) and myself (M.S. in chemical engineering, P.E.). Enbridge’s tunnel proposal has been fraught with issues from the start, including its failure to conduct enough lake bottom borings to appropriately assess the presence of methane and/or hydrogen sulfide. But even with their incomplete survey, methane was detected in 20% of the lake bottom borings and hydrogen sulfide is often found with methane… “A leak of butane or propane inside the tunnel can occur. When that happens there will be a detonation or explosion. The entire state of Michigan will be affected. Pollution of the Great Lakes, violation of tribal agreements, loss of tourism jobs, commercial and sport fishing ruined, beaches ruined, Mackinac Island “shut down” — the list goes on and on. Michigan, along with Wisconsin and Ontario, will pay the price. We cannot afford to guess and find out. It will be catastrophic. The tunnel must not be built.”
Roanoke Times: Marshall: Chickahominy Power plant is dead. Is the Mountain Valley Pipeline next?
Alex Marshall works for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, an organization that is building a diverse movement toward climate stability, 4/7/22
“The recent failure of the Chickahominy pipeline and power plant is a victory for climate and social justice activists across Virginia,” Alex Marshall writes for the Roanoke Times. “This follows the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the C4GT power plant in Charles City County. So what’s next? As Chickahominy shuts down, it’s time to turn our attention to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. If activists maintain their momentum, and legislators continue to do the right thing, the MVP may not - and most defnitely should not — be built. With recent developments, the odds for the MVP are looking slimmer by the day. After years of review, the MVP still hasn’t been able to obtain necessary environmental permits for all of its construction. Among other issues, the pipeline threatens endangered species and courts have now thrown out two permits from the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act… “With Chickahominy dead, we can look to the future with hope. Virginia needs clean energy to power our homes and economy. The MVP pipeline would provide the opposite. It would, quite literally, carve fossil fuels into the landscape of the Appalachians. The “jobs” created will not last much longer than the short-term construction contracts, but the injury to nature, the risks of poisoned waterways and pipe explosions, and the symbol of complicity in greenhouse gas emissions will be burned into the mountains for much time to come.”